Fastener for straps for mail, books, &amp;c.



Wffle $565. w f

E. S. COLBY & L. TINSLEY. FASTENBR FOR STRAPS FOR MAIL, BOOKS, 6w. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1910.

1 44,024. Patented Nov. 12,1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

E. S. COLBY & L. TINSLEY. FASTENER FOR STRAPS FOR MAIL, BOOKS, 8w.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1910.

1,044,024. Patented NOV. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SEEET 2.

22 2.; 4 b L l-Em tall/11111179111 A Whege;

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH SO-,WASHINUTON, n. c.

UNITED srn'rns PATENT onnron.

ERNEST S. COLBY, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, AND'LOUIS TINSLEY, OF CRAWFORDSVILLE,

INDIANA, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO COLBY MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, A CORPORATION OF OREGON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

Application filed January 5, 1910. Serial No. 536,513.

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ERNEST S. COLBY and LOUIS TINsLnY, residents, respectively, of Portland, county of Multnomah, and State of Oregon, and of Grawfordsville, in the county of Montgomery, and in the State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fasteners for Straps for Mail, Books, 620., and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of our invention is the provision of a fastener for straps, cords, etc., for binding or holding together packages of mail, books, etc., which will in the form of a simple device be capable of quick and easy manipulation for securing or releasing the package, and yet be capable of surely or certainly fastening the same against accidental loosening or releasing, and to this end, as well as others, that will hereinafter be set forth, our invent-ion consists in the fastener constructed substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing an embodiment of our invention with the parts assembled suitable for use in connection with a book strap. Fig. 2 a top plan view of the fastener alone. Fig. 3 a longitudinal section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 a detail top plan view of the releasing tongue. Fig. 5 a View similar to Fig. 2, showing an embodiment of our invention, in which a securing device for preventing accidental unlatching or releasing is employed. Fig. 6 a cross section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 a detail view in longitudinal section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 8 a cross section on the line 88 of Fig. 2.

The embodiment of our invention which we have selected for illustration is one in which, as shown in Fig. 1, a flat strap 10 is employed, which is adapted to be secured or held at two pointsone end and a point intermediate its two endsand such embodiment of our invention comprises two co-acting members 11 and 12, respectively, to one of which one end of the strap is fastened, and to the other of which the strap is detachably and adjustably connected to enable the separation of the strap therefrom when necessary and the adjustment of the tension of the strap on the package. The

member 12 is in the form of a longitudinally chambered oblong box composed of bottom, sides and inwardly turned flanges 13 that partially cover or inclose the top, while the member 11 is in the form of a flat plate or tongue that is adapted to be inserted within and removed from the box-like member 12, and when suitably inserted therein, is latched thereto. At one end said tongue 11 has a slot 14 for the attachment thereto of one end of the strap 10, and at its other and free end on its opposite sides it 1s provided with notches 15 to provide at each side of the tongue forward of the notch thereat a laterally projecting shoulder 16 adapted to interlock with or be engaged by an inwardly and downwardly projecting lug 17 on the side wall of the boxlike member 12. As best shown in Fig. 3, the forward free end of the tongue 11 is thinned or tapered so as to make the tongue concave on its lower side to its end sufliciently to make it readily yield under pressure and permit the disengagement of the locking shoulders 16 from the lugs 17 when it is desired to release the two members from their locking engagement. At its end opposite that into which the tongue 11 is inserted, the box-like member 12 has'a slot 18 for the passage of the free end of the strap 10, and preferably contiguous to said slot there is an anti-friction roller 19 to ease the passage of the strap. Contiguous to the roller 19 is the free end of a gripping pawl 20 which is pivoted between lugs 21 on opposite sides of the member 12 on a pin or screw 22 passing through said lugs, the angle of the pawl 20 being such relative to the roller 19 as to cause the biting or jamming of the strap therebetween to prevent tendency of the strap to move in the reverse direction therethrough, or the direction that would loosen it upon the package. The pawl 20 has a rearwardly extending tail 23 against the under side of which one arm of a coil spring 24 mounted on the pivot pin or screw 22 bears, the other arm of the spring bearing against the bottom of the box-like member 12, so that the spring tends to move the pawl into position to cause it to bite or clamp the strap against the roller 19. By pressing downward upon the tail 23 of the pawl 20 the strap may be released, and preferably the tail 23 terminates in a finger 25 adapted to contact with the upper side of the tongue 11 at its spring end so as thereby to depress the tongue to release it from the lockingshoulders 17.

It will be seen that with the two members 11 and 12 locked together, the matter of securing the package involves merely the passage of the strap between the roller 19 and the pawl 20, and the pulling on the strap until the desired tension on the pack- 7 age is secured, an operation that can be instantaneously performed; and the operation of releasing the package can be even more quickly performed, since it involves merely the depression of the tongue 11 to disengage it from the retaining lugs 17. To accelerate the releasing operation and the prompt withdrawal of the tongue 11 from the box-like member 12, the strap 10 may be provided with a sect-ion 26 of elastic material near the point where the strap end is secured to the tongue.

Inasmuch as the pawl 20 and the tongue 11 are more or less exposed, so that they are apt to he accidentally operated to release the strap under some conditions of use, it is desirable to provide means to prevent the accidental releasing movement of said pawl and tongue. Such means may, as illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, consist simply of a slidable plate 27 adapted to bridge over the open space in the outer side of the box-like member 12 which exposes the tongue 11, and to pass beneath the tail or finger of the pawl so that when said plate 27 is in position neither the pawl nor the tongue may be accidentally moved by the contact of some object with them, such, for example, as another package. At its opposite sides, the plate 27 is provided with flanges 28 which engage grooves in the outer sides of the box-like member 12, and thereby the plate 27 is slidably connected with the box-like member so that it may be moved into position to prevent the accidental operation of the pawl and tongue as above described, or moved to a position where it will permit the movement of said parts.

As shown in Fig. 1, the free end of the strap, as when it is intended for a book strap, may be provided with a ball 29 to form a hand hold or handle by which conveniently to carry the package, said ball being securely yet removably attached to the strap as by means of a bowed spring 30 mounted in a perforation through the ball through which the strap is passed, and which within the perforation is engaged by the spring.

If desired, a name ;or identifying tag 32 may be inserted between the flanges 13 of the box-like member 12 and the tongue, said tag being prevented from escaping by the bend or curve in the strap 24 where it passes through the slot 14 in the tongue.

hat we claim is p 7 1. The combination of a chambered member having a locking lug, a tongue yieldingly engaging said lug, means 'for attaching a strap to said tongue, a strap engaging pawl mounted on said chamber member, andmeans to release said tongue actuated from said pawl.

2. The combination of a chambered member having a locking lug, a tongue yieldmgly engaging said lug, means for attaching a strap to said tongue, a strap engaging pawl mounted on said chambered member, means to release said tongue actuated from said pawl, and movable means to prevent the releasing of said tongue and the movement of said pawl.

3. The combination of a chambered boX like member having an inwardly projecting lug, a tongue insertible and removable by a longitudinal movement, said tongue having a lug engaging shoulder and being elastic and movable crosswise of the chamber to engage and disengage its shoulder and said lug, and means for connecting the strap and said box like member, comprising a pawl pivoted to the box like member contiguous to the inserted end of said tongue, and having a tail adapted to engage said tongue.

in testimony that we claim the foregomg we have hereunto set our hands.

ERNEST S. COLBY. LOUIS TINSLEY.

lVitnesses as to the signature of Ernest S. Colby:

T. J. GLOVER, D. G. YOUNG.

Vitnesses as to the signature of Louis Tinsley:

EARL BERRY, ARTHUR O. TILNEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). e. 

